Tick Tock
by FairyYvie
Summary: Voldemort may be dead, but discrimination against muggle-borns still lingers. Rose and Scorpius, two of the most high-profile teens in the wizarding world, make the perfect target for these dark wizards to get the attention they want.
1. Chapter 1

It was the last day of the summer holidays, and for the first time in his life, Harry had forgotten to lock up his flying motorbike. The magical chain hung loosely off the pole, pooling on the seat in a shining coil. Rose, stumbling around on the baked earth of the yard like some desert survivor, assumed she was just delirious. She wandered towards the bike, hand outstretched, until she suddenly felt a familiar hand grab her shoulder.

"Hey, there you are. I was wondering if you wanted to come—oh, my god."

Rose blinked the sweat out of her eyes and turned to face Scorpius and Al, who were completely open-mouthed. Shaking her head in an attempt to clear the haze, relieved they could see the strange sight too, she beamed at them.

"It's the _ultimate_ way to cool down," she whispered, sounding like one of those motivational muggle speakers. "A once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, where the famous Auror Harry Potter, a man who usually has razor-sharp focus, has—"

She was abruptly cut off: Al pushed her out of the way, and he and Scorpius became a sweaty tangle of bodies as they fought over the seat.

"Fuck off, I saw it first!" Rose yelled, tackling them both to the ground, ignoring their shouts. She straddled the bike, simultaneously fending off the boys, and kicked it into gear in a blaze of noise. She shot off down the field, the bike shoving her knees upward as it bumped over mounds of grass and dried mud.

The engine roared louder, and the bike ascended rapidly into air. Rose had only moments to enjoy the cool lash of wind that whipped her sweaty hairline, before the bike suddenly pitched to one side.

"Not without me", grunted Scorpius, clambering on and reaching over to steady the bike by its handlebars.

"Are you serious, Scorp?" Rose screeched over the wind as they flew higher and farther.

"Relax Rose, there's enough room for two!"

"Bull, you just hate it when I beat you to anything!"

But pretty soon … especially when his hands gripped her waist … she was having the time of her life. The fields below rolled by like a slot machine, the wind was blessedly cool, and Scorpius was resting his head on her back in an entirely welcome kind of summer warmth.

At last, Rose decided to relax the accelerator, so she could talk to him.

"Time to give Al a turn, you reckon?" She hated having to say it.

"Yeah, alright."

She carefully turned around before they lost too much altitude, cruising at a less reckless speed now. The wind was still roaring, and she had to yell at Scorp to speak up.

"What did you say?"

"I said, holy shit. Look at the petrol gauge."

He said the words calmly, trying not to freak her out, but Rose's stomach instantly clenched. The bike's petrol gauge was a mini replica of the clock they had back at the Burrow, and was now pointed at 'mortal peril'.

"Okay, okay," Rose tried to breathe calmly. "So I'll just land, right? No worries."

"Do you even know how to land?" Scorpius shouted back.

"I got up here quick enough, didn't I? Now just stop shouting in my ear and let me focus on not killing us!" God, she felt like she was back in a muggle driving lesson with her Mum.

Harry didn't forget to tie up Sirius's motorbike, she realised. Of course he wouldn't—he never had before. He'd just gone to the garage to grab a petrol can, and now they were screwed.

Their height above the ground no longer thrilled her: it made her feel shaky. She knew that any second now, the bike could give way beneath them: magical petrol did not have a long lifespan.

"Hold on tight!" she screamed at Scorpius.

"What else would I be doing?" he yelled, practically crushing her torso with his muscular arms. Their descent was sickeningly fast, with Rose trying to close the gap in which they would fall. In what was pretty much a Wronski Feint, Rose yanked the handlebars away from the ground at the last second, flinging her and Scorpius into the hard-packed dirt.

A soothing female voice issued from the motorbike as they lay there, informing them that they must fill up the petrol soon without delay.

Scorpius was the first to bother to move, gingerly sitting up and scraping the dirt off his teeth, spitting it out of his mouth in disgust. "Rosie?" he shook her gently. "Are you okay?"

She groaned, muffling profanities into the dirt. He helped her into a kneeling position, his grey eyes wide with concern. He brushed her hair back with his thumb: it was matted with blood.

"Crap, Rose, your forehead", he started worriedly.

"It's okay, Scorp, just a cut." They looked at each in desperation, until Scorpius saw the familiar shift in her features: the talent she had to compose herself when things got tough.

"Okay, let's take stock of this situation," Rose said. Scorpius sat cross-legged on the ground before her, feeling comforted by her leadership … and as always, feeling a little bitter that she was far more together, more confident, than he was ever able to be.

"So, we're … wait, what—"

He followed her line of vision: green-clad wizards were suddenly racing towards them. Their hearts sank as the familiar cameras shuttered.

A portly, aged Rita Skeeter bustled over, shooing the paparazzi away from her walking path. A vein throbbed in her neck, flushed scarlet from the heat … but despite her unkempt appearance, her eyes gleamed in victory.

"My poor, dear, darlings! We've just notified your parents, and they'll be coming to collect you soon enough. I hope you wouldn't mind answering a few questions for me whilst I've got you here?"

"Not in your lifetime," muttered Scorpius.

Her Quick Quotes quill spun wildly across her notepad.

"Scorpius Malfoy, a handsome man of seventeen—"

"Sixteen," he muttered.

"—is having a busy week indeed. Hold on to your heartstrings, ladies: Hogwarts' most handsome bachelor—as voted by _Witch Weekly_ earlier today—has been spotted on a decidedly unromantic date with none other than Rose Weasley herself, the rebellious daughter of our very own Minister of Magic: Hermione Granger …"

She looked up from her notepad, and the quill stopped scratching. "Now Scorpius, tell me … what on earth possessed you to take Rose here out for such a dangerous ride? I mean, I know every girl loves a bad boy, but …" Rita deliberately trailed off, giving him a mocking smile.

"We're not playing the game today, Rita," Scorpius spat. "We've obviously got more important things to deal with right now." He turned away from her, ripping a piece off the bottom of his shirt and tying it around Rose's cut forehead.

Rita snapped her fingers. "Keep up the photography!" The paparazzi swarmed closer, and Scorpius tried his best to stay calm and shield Rose, who was so clearly in pain.

Rita's quill began to scratch again. "The wizarding world's resident bad boy bandages his girlfriend's wounds after their illegal flying motorbike stunt has ended in disaster … Rose's eyes begin to fill with tears as her long-time boyfriend Scorpius admits the wild ride was all just a 'game' to him. Could he be talking about not just the ride, but in fact their relationship?"

"We're NOT in a relationship!" they both exploded.

At last, Rose noticed her Dad, Harry and Albus finally appearing at the edge of the forest nearby, striding towards them.

Rita and the paps scattered like bugs, loud cracks popping through the air as they all disapparated before they could be caught and squashed.


	2. Chapter 2

"Ro! Your ass made it to page six!" James exclaimed, shaking out the page and magically enlarging it.

Her Dad jumped up from the breakfast table, his chair screeching across the stone floor, causing everyone to stop in their tracks. Rose, who had been gathering herself to dive into the chaos for a croissant, turned to look.

The moving picture, emblazoned across the top half of the page, had initially started out pretty cool: she and Scorpius were streaking down to earth on the bike like a pair of professional stunt riders. Unfortunately, her own fall was much more bottom-heavy.

Rose allowed herself a second to groan deeply and bury her face in her hands. Then she got up, plucked a croissant from the basket, and jerked the newspaper out of James's hands.

Eventually, the family started to move again and for once Rose was thankful they were hideously late: they were all too busy to dissect the picture. She was all packed—organised as usual—and was just waiting for some breakfast. And space.

"It's half-past!" her mum screeched. "Five minutes and we've got to be out the door!" Everyone scrambled out of the kitchen, clumping up the stairs to grab their luggage.

The din swept upstairs like a cloud, the room's volume went down, and at last Rose was able to collapse onto a chair, pulling the croissant basket towards her. Her Dad was the only one left, calmly sipping pumpkin juice and shredding the article with his wand.

"Thanks, Dad", she said. "Why aren't you freaking out like everyone else at how late we are?"

"Hermione's got it under control," he said absentmindedly, snapping open his glasses case to read the front page.

"What's the news?" she asked, happily shovelling croissant into her mouth.

After a minute, her Dad slid the paper across the dented wood, muttering under his breath. Rose lifted it up.

"Controversy in the Wizengamot began on Thursday evening as some members proposed that muggleborns were being granted too many privileges in the years following the Second Wizarding War," she read aloud. "Oh, come on! That's absolutely ridiculous!"

Her Dad nodded grimly. "People are starting to get jealous."

"But, you know, I'm sure muggleborns would rather have an education scholarship than their parents still be alive." Her voice shook with anger.

Her eyes locked with her Dad's, and she could tell this was more serious than she knew. Before her Mum hustled her out the door, she saw her Dad pull Uncle Harry aside.

They all loaded into the car, and Rose anxiously watched the front door. But Harry and her Dad came out only a minute later, both smiling like nothing was wrong. Auror training, clearly.

Her Mum tore out the driveway and started zipping down the country lanes, Dad shouting at her to slow down. Even after all these years, he still wasn't completely comfortable being in a car.

Rose finally settled back into her seat, and turned to notice she was sitting next to Scorpius, who was watching her intently. Willing herself not to blush, she covered up her feelings with a joke.

"Like what you see?"

Scorpius rolled his eyes.

"Are you alright?" he asked quietly. "Is the picture still bothering you?"

"Nah, I'm used to that shit by now," she said. "It's nothing."

"Doesn't look like nothing," he commented. He always, always knew when something was wrong.

"I'll tell you later", she promised, as James leaned between them to grab his wallet from the centre console. There really was no privacy in this family.

They pulled up at the station, and Rose was relieved to get out of the claustrophobia. She and Scorpius decided to go first, slipping through the barrier. She couldn't help but smile at the familiar sight: parents squeezing their little children tight as their older siblings tried to scamper away, the panicked flapping of owl's wings, the hot smoke billowing from the scarlet engine.

"Rose! Rosie!" she heard the familiar voices and her smile got wider: her two best friends, Mai and Leah, were coming towards her with their arms outstretched.

"I missed you guys so much!" she exclaimed, hugging them both. "Oh Mai, you got pink streaks! They look so cute."

"I did it in honour of senior year babe—one month 'til I come of age, and then we're having the best party in the history of Hogwarts". They all laughed, invigorated by Mai's ever-present energy.

Mai went to hug Scorpius, winking at Rose over his shoulder. It was no secret that Scorpius had built muscle over the summer, judging by the amount of girls who were currently looking-without-looking. Rose turned away and scowled, well aware of the jealousy-crazed girl she was slowly but surely turning into.

"So I made friends with the exchange students," continued Mai excitedly "and they've invited us all to come and sit with them".

Rose quickly glanced over at Scorpius, knowing he hated hanging out with big crowds of people. But he just shrugged his shoulders and said "Lead the way".

The exchange students hailed from Durmstrang. Rose was ashamed to admit she had always pictured them as cold-hearted Slytherins, when in fact they were all very friendly and boisterous.

"It can't be—_the_ Rose Weasley? Daredevil motorbike rider? Pulling away from the ground like that was amazing!" one of the guys exclaimed.

Their reaction gave Rose relief: finally, here were people who could help her make light of the situation.

"It was only my first time flying it too. Pretty badass", she said confidently, winking to let them know she was kidding.

"So it was your idea? That's so awesome. And Skeeter was calling Scorpius the bad guy", he laughed.

"Yeah well, don't believe everything you read", Scorpius muttered. Clearly in what Rose called his 'shy mode', he was pressed up against the window and trying to appear absorbed in his phone.

Rose shot him a look of annoyance, and he glared back at her, putting in his headphones and closing his eyes.

Whatever. She tossed her long red hair back over her shoulder, and continued chatting to the guys. They were exhausting to keep up with though, and she was relieved when the lights overhead dimmed and the train finally stopped.

Scorpius seemed to have woken up in a better mood, and he helped her carry her luggage off the train without a word. The horseless carriages were lined up in a row, gleaming darkly, and students' breaths came out in white wisps, dissipating into nothingness. Rose huddled closer to Scorpius, hiding her face from the chilled air. He wrapped his arm around her and their hands clung together. She quickly started to pull him towards the carriages, but he stopped.

"What was it you were going to tell me? In the car?"

Keeping an eye out for the girls, Rose quickly told him everything she had heard and seen that morning at the Burrow.

"It's probably nothing," she said, her words coming out all in a rush "but there was something in Dad's eyes that made me just feel like … like certain people are becoming restless."

Scorpius said nothing, but she noticed he gripped her hand tighter.


	3. Chapter 3

Rose jerked out of her dream, slowly becoming aware of the pillow creasing her face, her arm bent in an odd angle underneath her. Sighing, she rolled out of bed and thumped into a crouching position on the floor, blindly feeling about for her wand.

"Lumos", she whispered, watching with satisfaction as a white beam fanned out from the tip of her wand. It felt so good to do magic again. Stifling her groans, she hauled herself up, stretching out her long limbs. Rose was definitely not a morning person.

Pleased to have woken up with enough time to look nice, she started to dress amidst the soft snores of her sleeping companions. A piece of paper shimmered into existence on her bedside table, and she snatched it up eagerly: the new timetable.

"Monday: Potions…" she read on, feeling a mixture of excitement and trepidation: they were finally N.E.W.T students, and this was the year her results would count towards becoming a Healer. She hastily checked for all the classes they would have with the Slytherins, trying to ignore the hot flush of embarrassment.

"Rose?" The whisper from Leah was so soft, so drained; Rose thought she might have imagined it.

"Yeah?"

"I don't feel good". Rose's stomach clenched in worry, and she quickly moved to Leah's bed.

Her long blonde hair, usually bouncy and full of life, was draped in limp strands across the pillow, and her cheeks were a harsh, unnatural red. Rose gently placed her hand on Leah's forehead, and instantly retracted it, hissing in pain. It was boiling.

"Okay, Leah, can you get up?"

"No. Promise I'm not just being lazy", Leah tried to chuckle, but it came out as horribly constricted.

"Don't worry lovely; it just seems like a fever that will be gone in no time. I'm going to levitate you down to Madame Pomfrey, 'kay?"

Rose tried to erase the worry from her face, pencilled on a smile, and lifted Leah out of the sheets.

_(scene break)_

"You look like … like this bruised peach over here," Al commented, plucking the fruit out of the bowl. "Like, underneath your eyes—"

"Stop it, Al, I'm not in the mood", Rose grumbled, angrily slapping butter onto her toast. "Leah woke up sick this morning."

"Yeah?" Al tried to look unconcerned, but Rose had always suspected of his crush on her. "What happened?"

"Just some sort of fever, but she was just …abnormally hot."

"Isn't she always?" The words flew out of Albus's mouth before he could stop them, and she saw the tip of his ears go red.

"One of these days, mate, you're going to have to tell her how you feel", said Scorpius, sliding in next to Rose and grabbing the freshly buttered toast off her plate.

"Oi!" they both exclaimed simultaneously.

Scorpius laughed, and Rose felt her cheeks warm. This little crush of hers was definitely getting out of hand. She turned away from them both and pulled out a book.

Scorpius waved a hand in front of her face. "Earth to antisocial Rosie", he said. "Want to hold our tryouts together tonight?"

Rose and Scorpius were both captains of their Quidditch teams, and it had definitely taken its toll on their friendship. Was he _trying_ to provoke her? Prove why his team had beaten them last year? She hadn't spoken to him for weeks after that, and he'd best not forget that. Then again, she wasn't one to back down from a challenge.

"Why? You won't be able to change the competition", she said slyly.

"Aw come on, I just thought we could kill two birds with one stone."

"When did you start knowing muggle expressions?"

"I read," Scorpius said primly, ignoring Al's scoffs. "And anyway, I'm not sure how the team is going to turn out this year. Terry was our best seeker and now he's gone".

"Yeah, off to his professional Quidditch team. Which he was obviously in contract with during his final year", Rose said, still frustrated.

"Sorry cousin, but he was still born and bred on the Slytherin team," Albus said proudly, slapping hands with Scorpius.

"Not to puncture the bromance or anything, but we really have to get to class", said Rose, shouldering her bag. She led Al and Scorpius to Potions, continuing to bicker behind her about the team's chances this year.

Feeling a bit left out, she strode into the dungeons, taking a seat at the front and swinging her bag onto the floor. To her surprise, Scorpius sat next to her a minute later, leaving Al floundering about for a partner.

"Want to be partners this year?" he asked, running his hand through his messy blonde hair. His awkwardness was absolutely adorable, and Rose tried to play it cool rather than melt into her own cauldron.

"Sure", she smiled.

Suddenly, the doors boomed open and a man swept into the dungeon, his fur robes billowing behind him. His clothing was of impeccable taste, down to the silver-plated buttons on his white shirt. Rose noticed his face with a start, which looked as though it had been filed to a point, skin stretching over his carved cheekbones. But undoubtedly his most prominent feature was a vicious scar, running down from his eye like a single tear and pooling in a crusty pile on his mouth.

Rose belatedly realised she shouldn't be staring at it so openly, and quickly averted her gaze … but not before he noticed. She felt his powder-blue eyes burning holes in her bowed head, but she couldn't stand to look up.

"Before we begin, let me touch upon current events. My name is Professor Vogel, and I am here to remind you that less than three decades ago, the Dark Lord did not succeed in taking command of the wizarding community."

Rose looked up so fast she cricked her neck. It had been a long time since anyone had referred to Voldemort as that. Whispers began to filter through the class.

"Silence! Since the Second Wizarding War, we have become a wizarding community of peace. Or at least, that's what the media tells you."

The murmurings became louder, and this time, Vogel did not try to quieten them. Instead, he seemed to feed off the stirring effect he had created.

"No-one can deny the disastrous pain inflicted on the muggleborn community. But the fact is the Dark Lord's actions have allowed us to realise something."

That was it. Rose got up from her chair, shoving the desk forward a few inches in her fury.

"Sit down, Miss Weasley! I have not finished! The Dark Lord wanted us to believe that purebloods were superior, and look at what that led to. But now, the pendulum is shifting … the status of muggleborns is being raised to a dangerously imbalanced level. All I am entreating you all to do is to recognise that each and every one of us deserves equality. Regardless of blood status."

This guy sounded like Scorpius's dad on crack. Rose was horrified to see some of her classmates nodding.

Suddenly, Headmaster Aurora walked into the room, and Vogel gave her a charming smile whilst Rose seethed.

"My apologies, professor, but there is something very important I must talk to your class about", Aurora said, clasping his hand. Vogel bowed and retreated into the corner.

She moved into the centre, her eyes sweeping the room.

"Hogwarts has just received word of something which will no doubt shock all of you, but I must ask you to remain calm. I wanted to personally talk to the seventh grade classes, because you are the leaders of this school, and the staff must be able to trust you to help handle this situation.

"I'm very sorry to report—and rest assured, the wizarding world will do everything it can—that a virus has started spreading amongst muggleborns."


	4. Chapter 4

Rose stepped into the soft sand, which filtered like powdered sugar between her toes. Inhaling the sweet air, tinged with the last of the summer bloom, she allowed her feet to become swallowed by the black water. She sighed in relief at the pleasant coolness.

"Last time we'll ever do this", remarked Scorpius behind her. Rose felt a wave of nostalgia wash over her.

Rose normally looked forward to these nights … they were always spiced with an intoxicating sense of rebelliousness, the adrenaline of potentially being caught. But this year, she was frustrated and mostly, sad. She was sick of their little getaways only ending in a hug of friendship.

"How about we jump off the deck?" she asked. Scorpius laughed at her and they quickly stripped down to their swimmers, splashing through the shallows. He turned to her with a smile so blissful, so full of life that it made her heart hurt with longing. Trying to remain nonchalant, she grabbed his hand and swung it upward.

"Let's jump in together", she grinned.

"We've really come far", Scorpius chuckled. "I seem to remember you using that hand to push me in when we were in first year!"

Not far enough.

"I'm just thankful that night ever happened", she whispered.

"Me too", Scorpius said, his boisterous mood faltering for a moment. Rose thought she saw something flicker in his eyes, something serious … but then he shook his head and started to ready himself.

"Okay. Here we go. Three, two, one!"

They sprung off the moonlit deck, piercing the glasslike surface feet first, feeling it shoot upwards past their heads as they became submerged. Rose kicked to the surface, slicking her hair back out of her face and gasping in the warm air. Scorpius emerged a second later, his hair gleaming silver. Breathless, laughing, high on life, Rose did something then that she'd never done in her life.

She kissed him.

The first few seconds she was shot with nerves, knotting her hands in his soaked hair, kissing him clumsily, her lips smeared with lake water. But then Scorpius's shyness melted away—he'd had plenty of experience—and he took the lead.

The final few, soft seconds, were as close to total happiness as Rose had ever known.

They broke apart, panting heavily. Neither of them said anything, and Rose couldn't stand it, unaccustomed to having awkward silences with Scorpius. Finally, she made a haphazard attempt to string a sentence together.

"Did you want to … you know, like … be … whatever …" She gestured lamely towards herself.

"Be … together?" Scorpius said the words slowly, as if tasting the sound of them.

"Well. Yeah", Rose mumbled, having to look away from his searing eyes.

"I'd l-love it", Scorpius stuttered. "Holy crap! You have no idea h-how long—"

"You're telling me!" laughed Rose, happiness bursting inside her at his adorable reaction.

Scorpius eyes shone even brighter, and he took her in his arms and kissed her again.

_(Scene break)_

"Leah! I thought you weren't out until tomorrow!"

Rose looked up in shock, seeing her coming through the greenhouse doors.

Leah, who'd been trying to cinch her long hair in a ponytail with her thick dragonskin gloves, abandoned her task as Mai and Rose came running towards her.

"Ugh, I missed you guys", she exclaimed, hugging them tightly. "I was getting so bored in the Hospital Wing. Pomfrey finally let me leave. I only managed to convince her because she needs all the spare beds she can get right now."

"So you're okay then?" Rose asked anxiously, standing back to appraise her with a Healer's critical eye.

"Obviously not, she's been contaminated", muttered Crabbe, who was working across from them.

"Leper Leah", Goyle sniggered.

Rose was rendered speechless, horrified at how such attitudes could exist.

They had some nerve, talking this way in the same room as Neville.

"You're both as disgusting as your parents", snarled Mai, hands clenched into fists.

Leah curled her hand gently around Mai's, and steered her away. Rose followed, sticking her finger up at Crabbe and Goyle as she went.

They huddled in the corner beside the soil-filled wheelbarrow, trying to clamp down on their rage, waiting for Leah to continue.

"Um, so, I'm totally fine now, just a bit tired", Leah tried again. "Which is weird when all I've done is sleep for the past week," she said.

"You'd better take it easy today babe", said Mai.

"Agreed", nodded Rose.

"Back to work, you three!" called Neville from the far end of the table.

"Yes Professor Longbottom", they chorused. They returned to shredding their dittany plants, making sure to chop them into the precise sizes.

"So how are the other patients?" Mai asked in a low voice.

"Fine", said Leah, using her wand to drop the plant strips neatly into a bowl. "We all really got lucky this time. This virus sure is spreading fast but …at least its curable".

Rose put a comforting hand on Leah's shoulder, noticing she was trembling a little.

"Onto lighter topics", Mai interjected, chopping harder now. "I noticed you came back to the dorm _really_ late last night, Rosie".

"What were you doing?" Leah asked, eyes alight with interest.

Rose couldn't believe her luck: she suddenly had a legitimate excuse to field off their questions.

"Guys, spell!" she yelled. The dittany plant occasionally gave off flammable vapours, something Rose recognised from the pictures in her Healer textbook.

They quickly made themselves impervious to the vapours and strapped on their masks, but Rose couldn't help but hear their muffled shouts.

"You're blushing! Don't tell us you _finally_ had your first snog!" yelled Mai, none too tactfully.

"I knew it!" crowed Leah. "I KNEW you and Scor—"

"Shut up!" Rose hissed, waving her steaming plant samples threateningly close. "Okay yes, we did kiss, but you absolutely can't mention it to anyone. We agreed to only tell you guys and Al for now."

She grinned at their stifled squealing and celebratory dancing, but her stomach felt tight—they all knew why her and Scorpius were terrified to go public with their relationship.

It was, of course, because of Draco Malfoy.


	5. Chapter 5

The morning of Rose's first ever date dawned bright and cold, but she'd bought a gorgeous dress two weeks ago and godamnit; she was going to wear it. After what became a melodramatic shouting match with Mai in the dorms, she'd begrudgingly agreed to at least wear a pair of tights underneath.

Scorpius, looking as handsome as ever, greeted her with an incredulity that made her want to punch him and kiss him at the same time.

"Oh come on, Rosie! I've seen you in a bikini, you don't need to impress me anymore", he laughed, draping his jacket around her shoulders.

"I'm fine, thankyou very much", she muttered, but inside she was hyperventilating from the sheer warmth of his jacket. "I suppose you're wearing two jumpers?"

"Right you are", Scorpius said cheerfully. "Ever since you told me I _should_ be giving away my jacket when a girl is cold, I make sure I don't have to freeze too".

"Twit", she said, swatting away his hand as he tried to button her up. "Alright, let's go to Honeydukes. And then can we go to the Three Broomsticks? 'Cause—"

"How is that going to be any different from the thousands of other days we've spent in Hogsmeade with our friends?" he interjected.

"We're alone", she pointed out.

"Exactly. I want this to be more … special. So follow me, m'Lady!"

Rose rolled her eyes, but she felt her excitement rising. Spending the whole day with her boyfriend—looking sexy as hell in his knitted ivory sweater … her life surely couldn't get much better. Scorpius tugged her down the winding cobbled path of Hogsmeade, past the bustling crowds who were poring over the shopfront windows, poking at the glass with their gloved fingers.

Stopping near the outskirts of the village, Scorpius led her down an alleyway, which was shaded by the gorgeous, drooping branches of lilac jacaranda trees. A heavy oak door to their right swung open, causing the flowers scattered across the stone walkway to blow inside, and, treading softly over this purple carpet, Rose entered the Woodland Café.

"Oh Scorp", she breathed "this is so wonderful".

It must have been a brand new place, for Rose had certainly never seen it here before. A huge, gnarled tree sprung out of the centre of the panelled floor, spreading its twisted boughs up and through the ceiling. Hundreds of tiny, beaded fairy lights hung down from the branches. Rose noted with a childlike excitement the real-life faeries who were sleeping in the tree's crevices, electric blue wings folded over their tiny silver bodies like a blanket.

"I don't want to compromise my manliness or anything, but this was by far the cutest place I found", Scorpius admitted as they sat down.

"It's totally adorable. And oh my gosh, the menu!" she gushed, scanning the amazing list, which ranged from creamy, meaty pastas to decadent gelatos.

Their meals, which arrived fifteen minutes later, made Rose want to give up being a Healer and work at the Woodland Cafe for the rest of her life.

"This is—umf—amazing", gasped Scorpius between mouthfuls of pie.

"How did you even find out about this place!" Rose exclaimed.

"Mum, actually", he mumbled, not a fan of talking about his family. Rose dismissed his discomfort in a second: she would be forever grateful to Astoria Greengrass for shaping Scorpius into a better man.

"She's amazing, as always. Tell her I said thankyou. Speaking of, though, we haven't really talked about when we should mention … this … to our families."

Scorpius's face darkened. "If I didn't have a psychotic father, we could have told everyone by now".

Rose leaned over and took his hand gently. "You and I have been best friends since the second grade. Draco's known me for years", she said, trying to sound reassuring.

Whilst Scorpius had spent large chunks of school vacation at the Burrow, she had only been to Malfoy Manor a select few times: a strained birthday dinner of Scorpius's two years ago, an enjoyable day with Al when only Astoria was home, and a completely disastrous family gathering this past summer.

"Even so—" Scorpius jerked his hand away "—let's at least wait until the muggleborn virus has been completely eradicated. I don't want to stoke the fire with you as a poker."

As he lifted his head, Scorpius's face suddenly burnt with shuttered orange light. What sounded like a frenzied mass snipping of scissors proved to be the clicking of at least twenty paparazzi cameras.

"Oh for fuck's sake", groaned Rose, burying her head in her hands.

Scorpius tilted her chin up with his pointer finger, looking at her steadily. "We're not going to let them ruin this", he promised, standing up and emptying his wallet onto the table. Rose chuckled at the action.

"Do you have a back entrance?" Scorpius called to the young witch behind the counter.

"Oh yes Mr. Scorpius, sir", she said with a toothy grin. "Through here. It backs up onto the hill, so just run along the forest line for a bit and then duck back into the streets."

"Thankyou so much", Rose beamed. "The food was perfect for our first date."

"Oh, your first date!" she squealed. "My name's Leona. Would I be able to ask you both for a teeny autograph before you leave?"

Rose and Scorpius smiled exasperatedly at each other, quickly taking pictures and signing Leona's textbooks—she'd brought her homework to do during the slow parts of the day, she said. They only managed to extricate themselves from her grasp by appealing to her obvious romantic side.

"We'd better get going, Leona! I have more surprises in store for Rose!" panted Scorpius.

"Oh gosh, you'd better go then! So cool to have met you guys! Good luck!" She fished a silver key out of her shirt pocket and unlocked the back door, ushering them outside. With Leona's cries of "Good luck!" floating behind them, Rose and Scorpius sprinted against the direction of the wind, slipping on the wet leaves that were entrenched into the grass.

At last they stopped, and Rose hunched over in exhaustion, her sweaty hands slipping down her tights as she grabbed her legs for support. Her hair had come undone and was streaming behind her like an auburn veil, and her cheeks were flushed.

Rose Weasley had never felt more alive.

Suddenly consumed by a frantic feeling of passion, Rose whirled around and grabbed her boyfriend's face. She shoved him backwards into the forest, her mouth locked to his. Scorpius kissed her back, staggering backward into the forest.

When Scorpius's back hit a tree trunk, Rose pulled her lips away and started to rub his shoulders.

"Are you okay?" she whispered, giggling.

Scorpius was about to answer, when something else caught his attention. "Can you hear that?" he asked. "Seems like we woke up some animals".

"We probably woke up the whole forest", Rose snickered, leaning into his chest.

The forest, though a little dark and eerie, was beautiful: spongy moss coated the damp earth and crept up the base of the trees, which were dotted with wildflowers, and the sky was thick with evergreen fronds.

The quiet was broken again by the same strange, muffled noises.

"It kind of sounds like someone shouting", said Rose worriedly, drawing away from Scorpius.

"Wands out, d'you reckon?" he asked.

"Yeah", she said, starting to walk west.

Two minutes later, a snapping noise startled them, like a stick cleaved in two. The shouts got louder until Rose had the unsettling feeling that she was standing right next to whoever was yelling.

"There", whispered Scorpius abruptly, yanking Rose to the ground, gesturing to a hole in the leaves that they could peer through.

The sight was so strange that Rose blinked hard for a long moment, causing her eyelids to redden and wrinkle. Wrenching them open, she saw nothing had changed: there was still a tall, spindly camera rigged up on one end of a clearing, its lens trained on a small group of people who were bowed beneath their hoods. A black-robed man stood apart from the others, slashing the air with his wand, engraving a string of fiery letters: Equalists.

Beyond him, there were two young, teenage girls, who were bound at the stake.

The sound rushed away from Rose's ears … she couldn't hear anything … but her eyes saw everything. She saw the leader pivot, raise his wand, and mouth the words: _Avada Kedavra_. She saw one of the girls strain her little fingers towards the other girl, in their last second of life.

And she saw a man come out of nowhere and roughly jerk Scorpius to his feet, his boots dragging along the ground.


	6. Chapter 6

"What are you two doing here?" the man hissed. The light from his wand shone too close to his scar, and for a wild second Rose pictured it catching fire, a white flame licking the jagged line.

"We—we were just—" Scorpius could hardly talk: the man's meaty fist had bunched his ivory sweater over his mouth.

The smoke slowly began to clear from Rose's mind.

"Professor Vogel", she realised with a start.

Vogel's eyes flickered to her, and with a detached jerk of his hand, he let go of Scorpius, who barely managed to catch his footing. Suddenly, he pointed his wand at Rose.

"_No_—" Scorpius ground out, staggering toward Vogel.

Rose felt Vogel's wand rap her on the head, hard, and then felt a strange sensation, like cold water trickling down the back of her neck. He then repeated the action with Scorpius, and himself.

"Disillusionment charm", Vogel grunted, glancing behind them at the clearing. Rose instinctively followed his gaze, and then stopped, feeling like she had swallowed something sharp as she remembered what they had just seen.

"Why are you here?" Rose tried to keep her rising hysteria under control.

"I could ask you two the same question. But right now, we're going to run", he whispered. His voice was faint, but still piercingly clear. Rose shivered as they began to run, pumping her legs faster in an effort to warm herself up.

They didn't talk again until they had burst out the edge of the forest, Rose emerging first and doubling over onto her knees, gasping for breath. Scorpius sunk down beside her, clutching her tight, as Vogel paced behind them.

"Get up", Vogel snapped. He pulled back his cloak from where it had dropped off of his shoulder, quickly doing up the silver fastenings with deft fingers.

Rose and Scorpius scrambled up, facing their Professor, who stood like a stone-cold pillar against the wind. He gave them a small smirk, and for Rose, that did it. She crossed the short distance between them in a second and looked him square in the eye. No way was she not going to squeeze every last drop of answers she could out of this venomous snake.

"How could you!" she hissed. "You must have seen … what we saw …" Rose closed her eyes briefly, unable to black out the memory of the little girl's fingers stretching towards her friend, the flushed red of their cheeks.

Scorpius' hand slid into hers, and, bolstered by his comfort, she tried again.

"Answer me, now", she said angrily. "What were you doing there, and what the hell did we just witness?"

Rose had had this man pinned down as a villain since day one … which was why the next words out of his mouth shocked her.

"What you saw", he started "was a group of small-minded men who call themselves the Equalists. They have begun to commit terrible offences in secret, under the guise of blood equality. And given that I was outside the clearing, just like you both, I think it's obvious I was trying to save the girls. I was at least able to rescue you two but I clearly … failed".

Rose watched as his cool façade shattered. His papery skin crumpled in agony, his smirk slowly sliding away. Vogel's break in composure finished almost as quickly as it had come, but before it did, Rose saw the sadness settle permanently into his face: his mouth looked a little more downturned, his eyes a little more haunted.

Scorpius's quiet voice punctured the silence. "But you agree with the intentions of the Equalists. You told us that in our very first Potions class". Rose looked at him, shocked. She saw Vogel's mask slide back into place: handsome and empty.

"I think equality is worth fighting for", he said, pocketing his wand. "That was a concept the Dark Lord never understood, and what we in today's society do. But clearly, this handful of men, these self-professed 'Equalists', do not know how to draw people to a cause".

Rose felt Scorpius's hand clench, his nails sharply pricking her palm. "So you knew how insane these people were, and you went in without backup?"

The words rang a bell: Rose was distinctly reminded of the many hours in the Gryffindor common room where Scorpius had been poring over Auror training guides, drilling into Rose the most important safety techniques.

Vogel smiled. "You sound like my mother, Scorpius. Scores of times she would berate me for rushing headlong into situations like this one. I'll always be a Gryffindor at heart, I guess".

With that, he turned his back to them and began to walk back along the ridge. "Now, follow me. I think an escort back to the castle is necessary in this case. And there's no need to tell your little friends tonight. The pages of _The Daily Prophet_ will be splashed with the news by tomorrow morning's edition, I can assure you." His pace quickened, and Rose and Scorpius hastily followed behind.

Rose was dying to know what Scorpius was thinking, but there was no way they could talk within earshot of their Professor. Rose, in her typical fashion of trying to cover up her feelings, attempted to lighten the mood.

"Some first date, huh?"

Scorpius only gave her a pained look and turned away, and Rose gave up. But being silent just made her replay the execution over and over again. Rose tried in vain to distract herself, staring at Vogel's back and studying the decorations on his cloak as he shepherded them back towards Hogwarts. They passed the Woodland Café on their way, which gave Rose an awful, bittersweet feeling in her stomach.

Rain started to pepper their faces as they trudged down High Street, falling more steadily as they finally reached the castle doors. Rose was relieved to step inside the warmth of the Entrance Hall, to breathe in the ashy scent of the fire crackling in the torch branches.

Vogel ushered them in and they all watched the oak door clanging shut, revibrating off the stone walls. "Will you both be alright?" Vogel asked them, folding his arms.

Rose felt herself warming to him, beginning to respect him. "Yes, thankyou. Professor", she added hurriedly, realising that both she and Scorpius had treated a teacher quite harshly today.

"I'm glad. And Rose, I meant to give one to you in class, but … well, we didn't exactly get off to a good start." He handed her a lavender slip of paper, and Rose slicked her fingernail across the wax to open it. In thin, cursive writing, Vogel had written down the location of his office and an appointment time.

Drawing his wand, Vogel made a complicated swishing motion over the paper, adjusting the day of the appointment to tomorrow on Sunday.

"The staff—and incidentally, your numerous articles in the papers—have informed me that you wish to be a Healer, correct?"

"Correct", said Rose, confused as to how this was relevant.

"Well, when I taught at Durmstrang, I had a little system set up, and I'd like to do the same here. It's completely voluntary, of course, but if you're interested, I have rather a lot of connections in different industries. I'm very good at helping students get work experience placements. Those who have potential, anyway."

Rose's eyes widened. "Oh, thankyou sir". Scorpius mumbled something unintelligible behind her back.

"Great". Vogel inclined his head in farewell, leaving Rose and Scorpius standing alone.

Rose sighed deeply, finally feeling like she could relax. After a day of such incredible ups and downs, all she felt like having was a long, hot bath. She became aware that she was still holding hands with Scorpius, and tugged him towards the Grand Staircase.

He didn't move. She tugged again absentmindedly, only stopping when he suddenly wrenched his hand away.

"What?" she asked.

Scorpius's grey eyes glinted dangerously, but he said nothing.

"_What_?" she demanded again, feeling on edge once more.

"He's playing you, Rose!" he suddenly yelled, throwing his hands up in exasperation.

The tension from the day's events came rushing back, and Rose felt it brimming to the surface. "What! What, that's what you think?"

"It's what I think", Scorpius said, a little more calmly.

"Look, is he a creep? Yes, he definitely is. But we ran into him when he was trying to _save_ those girls. And then he rescued us! You're just jealous because—"

"Jealous?" Scorpius's hands clenched into fists. "I know how desperate you are to have the perfect career, to make your perfect parents and perfect fans proud, but—"

"Just because _you_", Rose interrupted "are going to jump through hoops to become an Auror so you can redeem your family's twisted past, doesn't mean I shouldn't accept help from a teacher whose going to help me become a force of good in this messed up world".

Rose had no idea how their argument had turned so rapidly from Professor Vogel to their career paths, but she had already started to regret it.

Scorpius stared at her, slightly open-mouthed. "Fine", he muttered, pushing past her. "That's just fine."


	7. Chapter 7

The following evening, Rose emerged from bedroom hibernation to bring her homework down to the common room: she wanted a change of scenery, but only one that allowed her to stay in her pyjamas. The rain had been falling steadily all day, coinciding with her miserable mood.

Yet armed with a box of Honeydukes chocolates and the knowledge that she only had one more foot of her Charms essay left to go, things were slightly looking up. With one hand on her quill and one hand in the chocolate box, her fingers getting smeared as the chocolates melted by the fire, she started to work.

As someone clumped down the stairs, Rose hastily licked her fingers and wished she had bothered to shower. Alone time at Hogwarts was sheer luxury, and she bit her lip in frustration.

"Alright, Sissy?"

Rose relaxed at the sight of Hugo in his red and gold pyjama pants, with slightly bloodshot eyes and tousled hair. She smiled at the absence of his snarky attitude, which he usually displayed when he was with his friends. He was back to being just her little brother, for these precious few minutes when no-one else was around them.

"Aw give us a chocolate, Rosie!" he pleaded, jumping into the armchair next to her.

"Oh, fine. What are you doing here?" she asked, tossing him the box.

"Couldn't sleep", he mumbled, putting something crumpled over her homework. Rose smoothed it out, and her heart sank. It was today's paper: she'd been deliberately trying to avoid it.

_**Silenced at the Stake: Terror Execution in Hogsmeade:**_

_As much as we would like to, no-one will ever forget the wizard who spawned the two biggest wars in the history of our kind. The wizard whose name every child feared to speak, lest they be gripped by his cold, murderous fingers. The day this wizard was destroyed was the day wizards and witches the world over sobbed in pure relief … but it was also a time where many of our number lost all they had ever loved._

_So when two children are murdered in the woods of Hogsmeade, by dark wizards whose ideals of blood purity are being carried out with a disturbing, fanatic echo of Voldemort himself, it is an understatement to say that the wizarding community has been shaken._

_The hooded wizards, who call themselves the 'Equalists', released a short, horrific three minutes of footage yesterday. Clad in black masks and robes, the wizards are unidentifiable, standing in a clearing inside the woods surrounding Hogsmeade village. In a chilling speech given by the man whom authorities presume to be the leader, it is argued that muggleborn rights have begun to outweigh the rights of purebloods in recent decades. The Equalists then put out an international call for equality: for each witch and wizard to be treated the same, regardless of their blood status. The video ends with the public execution of two little girls with the muggleborn virus, which the leader describes as 'contaminating'. The victims, now identified as Mischa and Leigh Trenton—eleven and ten years old respectively—were murdered by the killing curse, both bound to the stake with rope._

"_It's purely barbaric", Minister for Magic Hermione Granger said in a press conference this morning, visibly distressed. "If anything, muggleborn rights have been given attention in order to bring them up to the _same_ level as half-blood and pureblood wizards. I urge the community to not give these despicable wizards any semblance of support or attention, for anyone who can so callously take the lives of two beautiful girls is clearly not one worth following"._

_The Daily Prophet's condolences go out to the grieving Trenton family at this time._

Rose looked up at her brother, who was watching her sadly. She felt sick and disgusted all over again, vainly trying to focus on Hugo's face so the images of yesterday would stop flickering in her mind, mocking her.

"I thought all the bad stuff was going to finish with Mum and Dad's time", Hugo said. "I mean, I know that having a totally peaceful world is impossible. But this sounds like … like a _movement_, or something."

"It definitely scares me", Rose admitted.

"What did Scorpius say about it? Cause—"

"We're not really talking right now" she interrupted.

"You guys are still together though, right?"

Rose jerked in shock, nearly knocking over her ink bottle. "Hugo! Who told you?"

He smirked. "Half the school is onto you guys, but I thought they were just rumours. So thanks for confirming. How long have you guys been a thing?"

Rose sighed and checked her watch: she was going to be late. "Only a couple of weeks. Just don't tell anyone about it, especially not Mum and Dad."

"It's obviously going to come out eventually", Hugo said, rolling his eyes. Rose felt a twitch of irritation.

"Yeah well, we'll cross that bridge when we come to it", she grumbled. "I have to go. Appointment with Professor Vogel: he's going to give me some information about Healing internships."

"Now?" Hugo's eyes widened. "It's kinda late."

"Yeah, I wondered about that", Rose frowned. Shrugging her shoulders, she swept her homework off the table and into her schoolbag, and transfigured her pyjamas into a T-shirt and jeans. Feeling the usual rush of satisfaction she got whenever she could easily perform complicated Transfiguration, she walked towards the portrait hole with a little skip in her step.

"Rosie?"

She stopped, turning around. "Yeah?"

"Talk to Scorpius, won't you?"

It was strange: Hugo and Scorpius hardly ever spent time together, but they always seemed to be sticking up for each other as though they were really close.

"Why should I? He started it", Rose argued, feeling very much like a younger version of herself.

"I get that you haven't dated very long or anything, so this is probably like your very first argument. And knowing you, you rushed straight into this without thinking. But you've known Scorpius almost as long as you've known me. Heck, you guys are closer than you and me, really". The last words came out with a bitter ring to them, and Rose shuffled guiltily where she stood.

"I'll talk to him", she promised, avoiding his gaze. Rose, who never could stand uncomfortable silences, all but rushed from the room.

Slumped against the rugged stone wall of Professor Vogel's office ten minutes later, Rose had to take a moment to compose herself. She'd literally never met anyone else who made her feel so on edge … like she was clinging to a precipice and Vogel's steel-capped boots were crushing her fingers, but by the same token were all that kept her from falling.

She knocked hesitantly, and the door swung open of its own accord.

His office was remarkably plain: a simple, midnight-blue desk was covered with papers and ringed by a bookshelf, with a sputtering coffee machine in the corner.

"Take a seat, Rose", he murmured softly, gesturing to the wooden rocking chair beside his desk. He pushed a wad of pamphlets across to her with a small smile, seeming a lot more relaxed than he was in class.

"So. I've reviewed your grades so far and I must say, it's clear you've inherited your mother's brains", he began, his thin smile widening. "I have every confidence you're on track to becoming a Healer. Now, is there a specific hospital you would like to be stationed at?"

"St Mungo's", Rose admitted wryly. Whilst there were other magical hospitals in Britain, St Mungo's was at the top of nearly every aspiring Healer's wish list: it was the biggest hospital, had the most talented Healers, and the widest variety of fascinating maladies.

"And any particular field you're interested in?" Vogel was clearly treating this meeting with the utmost professionalism, acting as though yesterday had never happened.

"Spell damage, definitely."

"Why?"

Rose felt her mood lifting, as it always did when she was talking about her passion. "I'm attracted to the challenge of it," she said. "I've always idolised those Healers who have to go above and beyond in research, creating brand-new remedies, just to help reverse spells they might have never seen before. And Charms and Transfiguration have always been my best subjects: I'm much better managing spell work than I am, say, repotting Mandrakes."

"Well, I can see why the Sorting Hat put you in Gryffindor", Vogel mused, twirling his pen between his fingers. "I was admitted to the spell damage floor once when I was fourteen, and I couldn't believe how well the Healers worked their magic."

Rose chose her next words carefully, desperate to learn a little more about her enigmatic teacher. "What happened, if you don't mind me asking, sir?"

"I saw some wizards getting rough with my neighbour in our Muggle playground. Her name was Frieda. I was terrified of exposing what I truly was in front of her, but they were drunk. And that meant they were dangerous.

"I was sitting up in the tree above them, so I dropped down—" he released his pen from a great height almost childishly, so that it clattered onto the desk "—and tried to fight them off with all the spells I knew. Of course, they were much more powerful than me. Needless to say, I got hit with a rather nasty jinx."

He stopped there, and Rose knew she could not probe any further. The rest of the meeting remained strictly professional.

Twenty minutes later, armed with several pamphlets and applications, Rose trudged back to her dorm, only just managing to climb into bed before she fell asleep.


	8. Chapter 8

Rose rushed down the shadowed corridors of Hogwarts, weaving in and out of the mass of students flocking to the Great Hall for dinner.

"Excuse me—sorry—" she gasped, as her shoulder clipped a burly Slytherin who was forced to grab the wall for support. He instantly started cursing at her, but Rose just yelled another apology behind her and ran on.

Today, after months of interviews and weekly sessions with Professor Vogel, she had officially secured a coveted internship with St Mungo's Hospital. And there was no-one she wanted to share the news with more than Scorpius, who had eventually put aside his differences with Vogel to help Rose every step of the way.

Scorpius was rapidly becoming the most important person in her life. Rose didn't like thinking that way—after all, she had her parents and her brother, who should really be her priority—but this was a whole new kind of love, and it was starting to consume her.

But not in a way that meant Rose's grades were slipping, or anything like that. In fact, her grades were getting even stronger, because she and Scorpius both frequented the library for study sessions, for once combining their brainpower rather than competing with it. And when Rose wanted to pursue a career that would almost certainly make their relationship more difficult after graduation, Scorpius had been nothing but a faithful shoulder to lean on, someone she could always come and talk to about anything that was on her mind.

At last she spotted the familiar blonde head, leaning against the wall talking to Al. She was still busy darting around students when Al spotted her.

"Hey, Rose!" he called out, waving her over.

Scorpius turned around, gasping with a sharp intake of breath. Rose was beaming with pure happiness, looking radiant and even more beautiful than usual.

"I got the internship!" she burst out as soon as she reached them, squealing as Albus engulfed her in a hug that lifted her off the ground.

"I told you!" Albus shouted emphatically, whirling her around as much as he could in the confined space, letting her go as she bumped into the wall. "I called it months ago! And you were all like 'Oh Al, don't get my hopes up' and as usual, I was right".

"I do not sound like that!" Rose retorted in response to his high-pitched, girlish imitation of her.

"I'm so unbelievably proud of you", exclaimed Scorpius, barging Albus out of the way and hugging Rose tightly.

"As cliché as this sounds, I couldn't have done it without you", she said, looking up at him and threading her fingers through his soft hair.

Scorpius closed the gap between them, kissing her passionately. Rose's neck arched underneath him, her toes lifting off the ground.

"Um, hello. This is a lovely display of affection and all, but how about we head on to dinner so you guys can eat something besides each other's faces", Albus said loudly.

Rose sheepishly broke apart from Scorpius, feeling light-headed with giddiness. Even after four months of dating, it still threw her to see someone look back at her with such commitment and adoration.

"You're doing the puppy dog eyes again", she teased him as they joined the flow of people sweeping towards the Great Hall.

Albus quietly made a whip noise behind them, and without turning around, Scorpius backhanded him in the face.

"Ow! Christ Rose, he's more like a rabid dog than a puppy", he muttered angrily, rubbing his nose.

"You wouldn't care about us if you actually asked Leah out", Rose said in a sing-song voice.

"Yeah well, that's easier said than done!"

"Not really! You just have to literally say the words."

Albus sighed. "I just have to test the waters first. Scope out the situation".

Neither Rose nor Scorpius answered for a moment. It _was_ difficult to tell how Leah felt. She seemed to see Albus as more like a brother.

"I could ask her," Rose suggested. "Subtly, of course. If you want".

"Uh, well, okay. That'd be great actually, Ro. Just … yeah, be subtle, please".

Rose smiled back at him. "Of course. I can do it tonight, at the party."

Tonight was Mai's long-awaited seventeenth birthday party, and Rose was thrilled to have it time so perfectly with news that made her feel like celebrating.

The trio squeezed into a spot at the Slytherin table, which often happened. The teachers, who had tried their hardest to promote inter-house unity over the years, never minded. Rose's dad had told her all sorts of stories about the Slytherins when he was in school—with continual reprimands from her mum—and the cool thing was, most of them were not like that at all these days. But there were still those who lived up to the cold-hearted stereotype: those who could not quash the nasty, whispered remarks that flew from their mouths as Scorpius held Rose's hand on the table.

Dutifully ignoring them, Rose started heaping steak and kidney pie onto her plate, and with teeth gritted, Al and Scorpius began to do the same.

They ate in comfortable silence, the hot dish warming Rose's winter-frozen lips. She noticed with delight the twelve Christmas trees that Hagrid had finished putting up that day around the hall, watching the house elves scuttle up the ladders leaning against the trees, armed with strings of fairy lights. They were smartly uniformed in black tweed waistcoats and pants, and Rose felt so proud of her mother's legislation to see how happy they looked. Winky, a friend of her family's, was using her knobbly little hands to place heavy gold stars on top of the trees, underneath the magical snow that was gently falling from the rafters.

Professor Vogel, his eyes twinkling, caught her eye and raised his glass. She raised hers too, trying to convey in her smile just how grateful she was to him.

"I suppose he really came through for you", Scorpius murmured in her ear.

"He truly did", Rose gushed. "He's so incredibly clever … and he made it clear to me that he wants to help achieve equality in our world which, when you go about it in the right way, is an admirable aim, I think".

"Still, I'm glad you won't have to meet up with him any more", said Scorpius, setting down his fork.

Rose said nothing: Scorpius's mistrust of Vogel had already caused enough of a strain on their relationship. He just didn't know their Professor like she did.

Dessert came, and Rose decided to split a treacle tart with Albus. Her love for treacle tart had been instilled in her from a young age: it was a sort of family tradition that they had it whenever Uncle Harry was expected to come over for dinner. Scorpius had always been too preoccupied to eat treacle tart because he was busy eavesdropping on Harry's stories about being out on the field.

Watching carefully to make sure the teacher's weren't looking; Albus produced a flask of Firewhisky from under the table and poured it into their goblets. Rose clinked goblets with the boys, downing her drink faster than both of them, feeling the fiery burning sensation race through her veins.

As seventh-years, this would be the first night in a long time they could let loose, and Rose fully intended to make the most of it.

Two hours later, Leah, Mai and Rose sashayed into the Gryffindor common room, looking every bit the popular girls that they were. But Rose felt proud to have such good friends as these girls: they'd never cared about popularity, and couldn't have been more kind and caring to her.

They had all planned the party for weeks, and it had certainly paid off. A Silencing Charm coated the outer walls, whilst inside the room was an explosion of lights, balloons and music. After several trips of smuggling supplies through the secret passageway to Hogsmeade, the tables groaned under the weight of bottles of Firewhisky, butterbeer and Honeydukes confectionary.

Rose hopped up onto a nearby table, tapping her throat with her wand and muttering "Sonorous".

"Attention, everyone!" she called out. "I just wanted to thank you all for coming to Mai's 17th. She's now officially of age, so Merlin help us—" the crowd chuckled "—and let's help her celebrate adulthood by having the best party in Hogwarts history!"

Everyone cheered, and, laughing raucously, swarmed towards the drinks table. Rose jumped off the table, landing clumsily and having to dig her heels into the carpet, already quite tipsy. Pulling her tight red dress down further over her thighs, she straightened up and went to look for Scorpius. She'd been to enough parties to know he would be clinging to Albus in a corner somewhere, and so proceeded to make her way around the edge of the common room, her legs wobbling from the pre-drinks.

Sure enough, she found Scorpius in the third corner, shaking his head at a drunken Albus, who was trying to chat up Leah. Like Rose had guessed, Leah had said whilst they were getting ready that she wasn't sure of how she felt about Albus yet. But she was laughing at his stupid jokes at the moment, which was a start.

Rose went and kissed Scorpius on the cheek, startling him. "Want to dance?" she asked breezily, grabbing the bottle in his hand and taking a swig.

"In a minute", he said. He pulled her over to the couch nearby. "I just wanted to ask you a question, and I completely understand if you don't want to or whatever, but—" he hesitated. Rose's heart started to beat erratically. This was it. Finally … they were going to do it.

"Go on", she said encouragingly, trying to hide the shake in her voice.

"I was wondering if you wanted to come back home with me for a week these holidays. My parents said I could invite one guest to my birthday dinner with my family and, well …"

Rose's first feeling was disappointment, but that was quickly replaced with a rush of affection.

"I'd love to", she replied. She pulled him towards the dance floor and loped her hands around his neck, feeling the happiness that only Scorpius could make her feel.


	9. Chapter 9

Materialising out of thin air, Rose and Scorpius staggered out onto the moonlit lane. Letting go of Scorpius's forearm, Rose bent over, feeling the tightening sensation of Side-Along Apparation constrict her chest.

"You alright?" Scorpius asked her, fumbling around in his school bag for his keys.

"Yeah", she breathed, straightening up. The steel gates of Malfoy Manor loomed above them, casting shadow lines across Scorpius's face.

"Got 'em", Scorpius said triumphantly, jamming the pointed silver key into the lock. The gates shuddered, slowly opening through the dense snow that had built up on the ground.

Rose felt Scorpius slip his gloved hand into hers, using his other hand to levitate their luggage in front of them. Sculptures lined the shovelled walkway, carved from a polished marble that gleamed under streaks of snow. Framing the front steps were two majestic serpents, forked tongues dripping onto the ground.

She shivered, huddling closer to Scorpius as they ascended the stairs. Warm light suddenly flooded the scene, as Draco Malfoy opened the huge front doors and set their luggage down in the foyer with his wand.

Rose and Scorpius quickly let go of each other's hands.

"Scorpius!" Draco's voice boomed as they entered the foyer, brushing snow off their robes. "Happy birthday, son."

"Thanks, Dad", Scorpius said. Rose cringed internally at their awkward embrace.

"And Rose accepted your invitation, I see".

"Yeah, she did." There was a clear, defensive edge to his tone, and Rose quickly decided to divert Draco's attention.

She stepped forward, shaking his hand. "Mr. Malfoy, it's nice to see you again".

He inclined his head slightly, but gave her no verbal response. Despite the fact that she'd met him several times, they'd never gotten past the stage of politeness. Astoria however was another matter, and Rose's heart lifted to see her coming down the hall from the dining room.

"Darling! Happy birthday!" she ran the last few steps and engulfed Scorpius in a hug. Rose noticed Draco almost imperceptibly relax in her presence.

"Rosie! It's so nice to see you again. I hope you're ready for a big party."

"Just how many people are coming, Mum? You know I don't like parties", Scorpius grumbled, shrugging out of his robes and hanging them on the hook by the door.

"It's your seventeenth, Scorpy", she insisted. Rose giggled at the nickname he so obviously hated. "You're an heir to the family fortune and legacy now."

"Why is our legacy something to celebrate?"

There was a sharp intake of breath from Astoria, and Draco moved forward as if about to strike him. Astoria held up her hand in warning, her heavily ringed fingers glinting in the soft candlelight.

"Because we have spent years on the path to redemption", she said quietly. "Now, go up to your room. The guests will be arriving shortly, and both of you need to get ready."

Rose glanced worriedly at both of them, hoping the evening was not already screwed up. She looked imploringly at Scorpius, who sighed and apologised to his father before levitating their luggage once more.

Draco stalked down the corridor, followed a moment later by Astoria, who was wringing her hands desperately.

Without another word, Scorpius trudged up the winding black staircase to his room, and Rose trailed behind.

At last, they reached the landing and squeezed through the doorway into Scorpius's bedroom, sinking onto his green satin bed. They both lay back, in unison.

Rose rolled over to place a comforting hand on his shoulder, but he looked so aggravated that she thought she'd change tactics.

"That, Scorpius Malfoy, was pretty sassy", she laughed softly, wrapping her leg around him and kissing his cheek.

He sighed, taking her in his arms. "I'm sick of not standing up to him. I've just never wanted to risk the fact that he gave me permission to hang out with you guys all these years. He always reminded me that he could go back on his word in a second."

Rose frowned. "You never told us that."

"Why would I?"

"Astoria's been so good for him, though. And I know he's proud of you."

"Imagine what he'd do if he knew I was dating a _Weasley_", he snickered. The words hurt, but Rose smirked back.

"I do think we should tell him this week, though. Just not tonight. Tonight—" she stroked his hair "is your birthday, and damnit, we're going to have a good time."

"So it _won't_ be stuffy conversation and tiny food portions?" Scorpius asked, with genuine hope in his voice.

Rose kissed him quickly and slid off the bed. "It will be", she admitted, grabbing a thick towel off the foot of his bed and rifling through her trunk for the essentials. "But when everyone's gone home, you and I are going to have a midnight feast."

Scorpius bounded off his bed in excitement. "Like when were little kids! Oh, and a secret midnight fly too, I reckon".

"I don't think I can move a snowstorm out of England, but I'll try", Rose reminded him, moving into the en-suite bathroom.

"Wait, wait", he stopped her. The Malfoy's house-elf was at the door, holding a bundle of material in his arms.

"Thanks, Lee", Scorpius smiled at him, taking it.

"I'm glad you're back, Master. Oh, hello, Miss Rose! Promise you'll tell me about your match against Ravenclaw later, Scorpius".

"I will. In great detail, mate", Scorpius grinned. Lee bowed and exited the room.

Scorpius turned toward Rose. "This looks like it's for you. I mean, they better not be for me". He handed her a set of expensive, pale blue dress robes, tightly folded. Rose stroked the material, marvelling at how soft it felt.

"They're just gorgeous. By the way, Lee just reminded me that Gryffindor and Slytherin play each other in the first match after the holidays. Do we need to talk about that?" she asked.

"Why, 'cause we've been competitive since birth?"

Rose rolled her eyes at him, going into the bathroom and shutting the door.

Still feeling the winter chill in her bones, Rose undressed as quickly as she could and stepped into the shower. Carved out of a forest-green marble, the shower, like everything else in the manor, was huge and ornate. Rows and rows of golden taps protruded from the wall, and Rose had fun selecting from an array of coloured water jets and scented oils. The hot water helped loosen the cramps in her muscles from the long journey on the Hogwarts Express.

Drying herself amongst a billowing cloud of steam, Rose eagerly unfolded the dress robes. Of course, she was not unaccustomed to expensive clothes, but they still made her excited. She slipped them on, and opted for a pale pink lipstick, some eyeliner and mascara. Lee had also brought a pair of satin kitten heels, and they felt wonderfully smooth on the soles of her feet as she walked back into the bedroom.

"Wow!" exclaimed Scorpius, unable to stop the goofy grin that spread across his face when he saw her.

"You're not so bad yourself", she smiled. Scorpius was looking very handsome in black dress robes, embroidered with the family crest.

"Shall we?" he asked, offering her his arm. Sensing his obvious reluctance, she squeezed his arm as they headed toward the dining hall.

Beautiful silver chandeliers surrounded the dining table, which had been magically extended to accommodate for the many members of the Malfoy family. House elves were scurrying around, beginning to load entrees onto the table. Scorpius sat down at the head of the table, whilst Rose sat down to his left after she saw a silver place card bearing her name. Draco was already seated on Scorpius's right-hand side.

Astoria's mother immediately engaged Scorpius in conversation. No-one seemed to notice Rose or even acknowledge her existence, so she decided to just concentrate on savouring the delicious food. Stupid, snobbish Malfoy relatives.

Once dessert had been served, Draco stood up and tapped his wine glass until silence fell.

"Thankyou all for coming to Scorpius's seventeenth birthday dinner", he began. Rose couldn't help but be reminded of her own speech at Mai's party, and how utterly different it had been.

"I would now like to pass down the family watch to Scorpius, a pure gold watch that has been in our family for generations."

Everyone clapped, and Scorpius stood to let his father affix the watch to his wrist. Rose was pleased to see the small smile on his face: this, she knew, he had been looking forward to.

Draco cleared his throat and continued. "My son becomes a man tonight, in a time which is becoming increasingly difficult for the wizarding world. We've all seen what the Equalist movement has done, and that's why it's so important for us to celebrate the next generation of the Malfoy family. It is our sons and daughters who will be fighting this evil, proving our worth. Proving our superiority over those with … shall we say … _lesser_ blood running through their veins. Happy birthday to my son, my heir: Scorpius. Cheers!"

The guests chuckled, clinking glasses, and Draco sat down with a satisfied smile on his face.

The clatter of silverware started up again as everyone started eating dessert. Suddenly, Astoria's voice pierced the air.

"I don't see Muggleborns going around making petty insults about purebloods", she hissed at Draco.

"We've had this argument a hundred times, Astoria", Draco said exasperatedly. "Stop talking so loudly or someone might hear you."

"Don't worry, mum", Scorpius interjected. "I've never believed that Muggleborns are scum, despite dad's best efforts."

"Don't you dare be insolent to me", Draco seethed. "After all we've done for you tonight—"

Rose saw the tip of Scorpius's ears start to turn red, and her stomach clenched.

"Done for _me_? Tonight has had _nothing_ to do with me, and everything to do with your stupid Malfoy pride!" Scorpius stood up abruptly, shoving his chair away from the table. Those nearest to them had fallen silent, and were watching Scorpius with open mouths.

"Where are you going?" Astoria asked warily, with a cautioning hand on Draco's chest.

"Out", Scorpius said flatly.

Moments later, they heard cold wind streaming into the foyer, and then the front door slammed shut.


End file.
